Method of sewing to fasten the ends of sewed seams



(No ModeL) E. S. ORAM. METHOD 0]? SEWING T0 FASTEN THE ENDS O]? SEWED SEAMS. No. 315,916. Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

WITNESSES l 1 /g{ [N VE/Vm, I %-fm- Affofney UNITED STATES PATENT Unison.

ELISHA S. GRAM, OF LACONIA, NEXV HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO EDGAR O. OOVELL', OF SAME PLACE, AND JOHN S. CRANE AND B. FRANK DRAKE, OF LAKE VILLAGE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

METHODOF SEWlNG TO FASTENiTHE ENDS OF SEWED SEAMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,916, dated April 14, 1885.

A Application filed May 9, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

-Be it known that I, 'ELISHA S. CRAM, f Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of. New Hampshire, have invented an Improved Method of Sewing for Fastening the Ends of the Threads at the Ends of Scams and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My improved method of sewing with sewing-machines by which the threads are fastened atthe ends of seams consists in first sewing forward in the usual way, then reversing the feed'of the machine, without making stitches, to the extent of a few stitches, and then sewing forward again and making stitches in the same places in the fabric as the first set of stitches, substantially as hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the first end of a maohinesewed seam having the threads fastened by my improved method. Fig. 2 shows the last end of a machine-sewed seam having the threads fastened by my improved method; Fig. 3, a section on an enlarged scale of a {fabric showing a sewed seam fastened by my method.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

In applying my method of fastening the threads at the beginning of aqse'arn, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the seam is started in the usual way, and when a few stitches, a a, preferably about three, four, or five, have been sewed, the motion of the machine is reversed, thereby reversing the feed, which reverse feed is continued until the initial point of sewing is reached without making stitches, but leaving portions 6 b of the threads simply reaching from the last to the first stitch outside of the fabric. Then the motion of the machine is changed to direct again, with a forward feed, and sewing into the same thread-holes in the fabric as in the first sewing, thereby making another set of stitches, c a, close by the side of or over the first set of stitches, on. Then the sewing is continued without interruption beyond the double stitches, forming the regular seam (3. Thus the first end of the seam is securely held against unraveling without any care, trouble, or loss of time, except to reverse the motion of the machine for one revolution or less of the driving-wheel, and then start forward again.

For fastening the threads at the last end of a seam, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the regular sewing is continued at a a forward to the end of the seam. Then the motion of the machine is reversed, thereby feeding backward to the extent of a few stitches, as at the first end of the seam, without forming stitches, but leaving straight portions 1) b of the threads outside of the fabric. Then the forward motion of the machine is resumed and the forward feed again continued to the end of the seam, thereby sewing into the thread-holes of the first set of stitches aset of additional stitches, c c, and securing the seam as before set forth for the first end of the scam.

I have shown in the magnified representation, Fig. 3, how the threads are combined by this method of sewing for fastening the stitches at the ends of said seams. Here first the stitches a a are sewed in the fabric A asordinary stitches. The threads in the reverse feed of the machine are not looped together, but the needle-thread is drawn out of the fabric at each withdrawal of the needle, while the shuttle-thread is not drawn into the fabric, the shuttle not passing through the needlethread loop. Thus portions Z) I; of the two threads remain outside of the fabric and extend from the thread-hole of the last fasteningstitch back to the thread-hole of the first fastsuing-stitch, as shown, and making the entire 7 threads continuous, so that they can be drawn out of the fabric accidentally to loosen the stitches. Then another set of stitches, 0 c, are sewed into the same thread-holes as the first stitches, a to. These last stitches, c 0, will some-' times lie on the fabric close beside the first stitches, as indicated by most of the fasteningstitches shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but sometimes the last stitches will cross over and lie upon the first stitches, as shown at f in Fig. 1. It matters little how the second set of stitches lie in relation to the first set of stitches, since both sets of stitches lie close together and close upon the fabric, as they pass through the same holes in the fabric, and the straight portions ployed, such as described in a joint applicab b of the threads also lie close upon the fabric, as shown. Sometimes they are crossed over by the second set of stitches, as shown at g in Fig. 2. This makes thev seam none the worse in appearance, and makes the fastening even more secure. If, however, stitches were formed during the reverse feed of the machine, there would be three sets of stitches lapping by one another, and they would not all enter one set of thread-holes, and the seam'would be bungling and unsightly.

' without the liability of breaking the needlethread by the shuttles taking the needlethr'ead' loop. As such sewing-machines are now constructed, none, so far as I am aware, are capable of having their motion reversed without being liable to break the needle-thread by the shuttle and without taking stitches. To adapt machines to the purpose of my invention, Ihave adopted various means, according to the different organizations of the machines. Thus for one class of machines a short-pointed shuttle is sufficient, such as set forth in an application for Letters Patent No. 117,136, filed by me January 11, 1884, the shuttle being. thereby adapted-to cast off the needle-thread loop during the reverse motion of the machine. For another class of machines, to which such a shuttle will not practically apply, a shuttle which is both short-pointed and has the point considerably below the central line may be emtion by. myself and Edgar G. Oovell, No. 121,105, filed February 11,1884. For other 0 sewing-machines which cannot be adapted to the purpose by changing the construction of the shuttle, a peculiar construction of the needle-driving cam may apply, as described in a joint application of myself "and Edgar (J. 00- '45 vell, No. 122,348, filed 'February 28, 1884. With this construction, on reversing the motion of the machine the needle rises out of the way before the shuttle is carried forward far enough to take the needle-thread loop; and 50 for such machines as neither of the abovementioned constructions will adapt to the purpose a suitable special take-up for the needlethread, adapted to take up the slack thread and allow no needle-thread loop to be formed for the shuttle to enter during the reverse motion of the machine, and acting only during such reverse motion of the machine, maybe employed, as set forth in a j'ointapplication' of myself and Edgar O. Oovell, No. 127', 806, filed April-14,1884.- I claim as my invention The method of fastening the threads at the ends of seams in sewing, which consists in, first, sewing forward in the usual wayysecon'd, 65 without breaking the sewing thread or'threads beginning back a number of "stitches; and, third, sewing forward'again and making another set of stitches in the thread-holes of the first set ofstitches. ELISHA SE'CRAMS Witnesses:

EDGAR O. OOVELL, EDGAR F. REEVES. 

